Cru Jones Society

 

As you read yesterday we are talking about the movies from the last decade we love. This became kind of a hard list to make since I watched a lot of the same movies again and again in a drunken or hungover state. I think over the last decade I watched Swingers and MST3K: The Movie more than any movie released from this decade. That’s just what we did.

Eventually I was able to make a list. But because it consisted of nothing but Will Farrell and comic book movies I had to throw it out and try again. I racked my brain and search many data bases and was finally able to make the list you’ll find below. Now let’s light the lights and get things started.

Almost Famous (2000)

As yesterday showed us, this movie is on a lot of people’s list, and with good cause. Almost Famous is a great story, with well portrayed characters, and an awesome soundtrack to boot.  William Miller lives a sheltered life until he gets an opportunity of a lifetime, to go on tour with an up and coming rock band.

Part of why I love this movie has to do with my envy of William. At 15 he is doing what I would love to be doing with my life, writing for living. On top of that he gets to spend his time with rock stars and groupies, or rather, Band Aids. Living a rock and roll lifestyle at 15. When I was 15 I was writing essays about Julius Caesar, attending the occasional rock show, and hanging out with theater girls. Despite his geekness, William was cooler than I could ever hope to be.

On top of that the characters in Almost Famous are fantastic and the actors playing them do a wonderful job. There’s the awkward William played by relatively unknown Patrick Fugit looking only for his interview; Frances McDormand as William’s over protecting mother; a break out role for Kate Hudson as the all knowing queen of the Band Aids; and of course Billy Crudup’s ego centric rock star. I cannot even count the number of times I have wanted to scream out, “I am a golden god!” while I have been drinking.

I think more importantly this movie has a couple messages I like to take to heart. The first is to always follow your dream. William is dragged through a lot of muck and sees that being a music writer is not as glamorous as it might seem. Often when we pursue our dreams we only focus on the end result and don’t consider the ugly underside of what comes with trying to achieve that dream. The other lesson I take from this is to make sure you follow your dream for you and for no one else. Everyone wants something different from William and he gets caught up in it all and loses track of what he set out do. As soon as he realizes he needs to write because he wants to write he gets his act together and ends up happy.

The moment that really made the movie for me was when the entire tour bus starts singing “Tiny Dancer.” There is something about that moment, the idea of music bringing everyone together that makes me realize why I love music.

Best In Show (2000)

Christopher Guest movies follow a certain formula: take a subject matter not normally found in Hollywood movies, approach it as a documentary, and let the brilliant cast improvise. I enjoy This Is Spinal Tap, but for my money Best in Show was Guest’s best work. If you have ever watched the Westminster Dog Show then it can be easy to see why this movie would be so much fun. The material is ripe for satire and that is exactly what Best In Show gives us.

But above that, what really makes this movie work are the actors. The same group of people can be found in all Guest’s movies and with good cause. These people have perfected their craft and are masters of improv. Since Guest is friends with these people and has worked with them there is a high level of trust and they are allowed to run freely with the characters and lines. This allows the character to be more real and more endearing. Guest is a back country hick who knows two things, bloodhounds and nuts. He is a simpleton but is loveable. Eugene Levy is a passive, two left footed man with low confidence married to Catherine O’Hara who is out spoken and has had many suitors which makes Levy uncomfortable. Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins as the flamboyant gay couple. Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock (a lot of actors with Michael in their name in this movie) as the yuppie couple slowly watching their supposed perfect world come down around them. And of course Fred Willard calling the action of the dog show, ranking up there with the likes of Bob Uecker in Major League and Jason Bateman in Dodgeball. All these well defined characters make this movie work.

These are some of the funniest people in the business and this is their finest work.

Spider-Man (2002)

The aughts brought about a revival in comic book movies. It started with X-Men, but Spider-Man raised the bar set by X-Men and created a new standard. Every subsequent super hero movie would have to be as good or better than Spider-Man least it be compared to Batman and Robin.

Spider-Man was always my favorite super hero as a kid, teenager, and young adult, so clearly I was excited for this movie. Then the awesome happened, Sam Raimi was hired to direct. Army of Darkness showed me he was no stranger to visual effects and this time he was going to have a budget.

Raimi did not let me down. Neither did screen writer David Koepp who kept the story very true to the original. Just watching Spider-Man swing through the city I was in such awe and I could tell we were in store for more great comic book movies. Unfortunately Ang Lee and Ben Affleck made us sit through crap before we got another good one.

I can’t forget J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson. Second only to Patrick Stewart in perfect comic book casting. Simmons is amazing and nails the role of the newspaper tycoon who loathes Spider-Man.

40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

Dagger mentioned yesterday the way Steve Carell shoplifted Anchorman so it was only fitting he would soon be the lead in movies.  40 Year Old Virgin gave Steve that opportunity and he ran with it. Virgin works because Carell plays the character completely straight. The comedic straight man is an under rated aspect of comedy, but Carell plays it perfectly in this movie.

In addition to showing America the range of Carell, Virgin also gave most of America a real glimpse into the world of Apatow. This was just the start of what would become the new standard in comedies geared towards college males. Before I started watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Knocked Up every time they’re on and before Superbad there was the brilliance of Virgin.

This movie also helped reintroduce us to Paul Rudd, a very funny man who stayed mostly hidden and below the radar since appearing in Clueless .Now he was back in people’s minds and they could see he is the perfect man to play the best friend, brother, or half caring husband. Seth Rogen was also introduced to us in this movie. I found he had a certain charisma and I wanted to see him in more. Sure enough he went on to dominate the big screen these last few years following Virgin.

The Departed (2006)

Every decade has a great mafia movie. The 70s had The Godfather, the 80s brought us Scarface, and the 90s was Goodfellas. So the 00s needed one and way better one than The Departed?  The answer: none. The movie had all the makings of a good mob movie, violence, double cross, Jack Nicholson with a huge rubber dick, er wait, what?

I went to see this movie for Nicholson, Matt Damon and Leo DiCaprio. I saw it again for Mark Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin, and because that Dropkick Murphy’s song was so infectious it made me crave more. Everyone acted like such a bad ass it was hard to not feel cool as you watched it.

I also enjoyed the suspense and tension that built as we wondered if either rat was going to be found out. There were so many close calls and so much at stake I was on the edge of my seat at times. The movie was able to draw me in and really made me care and root for these people. I wasn’t just watching people do things; I was a part of it. It’s not just a movie, it’s an experience. I even think Nicholson phoned it in on this one yet despite that the movie is still awesome because Nicholson’s half assed acting is still better than a lot of people’s full assed acting.

Tomorrow: Our Guest Columnist’s 5 Favorite Movies of the 00s

See ya in the teens…

lee.s.hart@crujonessociety.com